Justice Sonia Sotomayor Meets with Alabama Law Students as Part of Albritton Lecture
Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor of the Supreme Court of the United States was the featured speaker for the most recent Albritton Lecture at The University of Alabama School of Law.
During her visit, Justice Sotomayor participated in a lunch with Alabama Law student leaders and three separate Q&A sessions with first-year law students, the larger Alabama Law student body, and students from UA’s Blackburn Institute. She fielded questions from students and faculty on the impact of artificial intelligence on legal practice, current challenges facing the judiciary, and leadership and personal success, among other topics. Click here to read more about Justice Sotomayor’s visit.
Alabama Law Remembers J. Mason Davis Jr.
J. Mason Davis Jr., civil rights leader and the first Black adjunct professor at The University of Alabama School of Law, has passed away at the age of 90.
Mr. Davis joined the Law School faculty as an adjunct professor in 1972, the same year that the first Black students graduated from Alabama Law, and he served in that role for over 25 years. The Law School is grateful for Mr. Davis’ thoughtful and selfless service that he dedicated to his students and broader community throughout his lifetime, and extends its heartfelt condolences to his loved ones. Click here to learn more about Mr. Davis’ legacy.
Alabama Law Ranks #7 Nationally in Federal Judicial Clerkship Placements
In annual law school rankings released earlier this month, US News and World Report ranked Alabama Law #7 among all US law schools — #2 among public institutions — for the percentage of graduates employed in federal judicial clerkships. This ranking comes on the heels of data recently reported to the ABA showing a 10-month employment rate of 98.6% for the Class of 2025; an ultimate, 2-year bar passage rate of 99.15%; and first-time bar passage results of 95.24% for the Class of 2025 — placing Alabama Law #6 nationally (by weighted average). Alabama Law is proud to remain a leader in providing its students an outstanding, affordable legal education that produces excellent attorneys.
You’re Invited! Alabama Law Alumni Society Awards Reception in Birmingham
Dean Bill Brewbaker invites you to join us on May 21 at The Florentine in Birmingham at 5:30 p.m. to celebrate three exceptional members of our Alabama Law community: Paula W. Hinton (‘79), the 2026 recipient of the Sam W. Pipes Distinguished Alumna Award, and two of the 2026 Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor inductees, Penny Davis (‘78) and Curtis O. Liles III (‘73). Click here for more details and to RSVP!
The Alumni Society hosted a reception for Caroline Stephens Milner (‘18), the 2026 Alabama Rising Young Attorney Award recipient, in March, and will be hosting receptions for our other Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor inductees, Bob McCurley (‘66) and Irving Silver (‘65), in July. Stay tuned for announcements about those events!
Gifts
Recognition of gifts of $5,000+ over the past month
Myla E. Calhoun (‘85) contributed $25,000 to the Alabama Law Summer Scholars Program.
Mr. and Mrs. John H. Jackson Jr. (‘66) pledged $50,000 to the Alabama Law Summer Scholars Program.
Susan R. Miller contributed $60,000 to the John C.H. Miller Jr. Scholarship.
Cary Page contributed $10,000 to the Path Makers Legacy Plaza.
The following alumni and friends (not mentioned above) either made or renewed an annual giving contribution to the Alabama Law Alumni Society this month. Visit www.give.ua.edu to make or renew your contribution.
Martha A. Chapman (‘78)
Clausen Ely Jr. (‘72)
David A. Felice (‘01)
Stephen V. Hammond V (‘74)
Christopher R. Kelley (‘00)
Joseph R. Latham (‘19)
Kimberly H. Memmesheimer (‘98)
Halron W. Turner (‘84)
Jennifer B. Wells (‘06)
Jeff A. Wells (‘06)
Class Notes
Keep us in the loop! Please send any updates to media@law.ua.edu.
Anne Tyler Hall (‘06) was named to Inc.’s 2026 Female Founders 500 list.
Melissa H. Yan (LLM ‘12) joined Fifth Third Private Bank as a senior trust advisor in Birmingham.
The following alumni were inducted as Fellows of the Alabama Law Foundation:
Samuel Adams (‘82)
Hon. Tiffanie L. Agee (‘13, LLM ‘16)
Shawn T. Alves (‘99)
Gordon G. Armstrong III (‘89)
C. Mark Bain (‘96)
David L. Brown Jr. (‘01)
Tracy Cary (‘92)
Hon. J.R. Gaines (‘01)
F. Tripp Haston III (‘93)
Charles James II (‘02)
Hon. Samuel Junkin (‘00)
Hon. Harold D. Mooty III (‘08)
William E. Pipkin Jr. (‘89)
A. Philip Reich II (‘74)
Thomas Siniard (‘80)
Spencer M. Taylor (‘96)
The following alumni were named to the 2026 Yellowhammer News Power & Influence: Top 50 list:
Mary Pat Lawrence (‘00)
Hon. Steven T. Marshall (‘90)
Hon. Arthur W. Orr (‘89)
Clayton M. Ryan (‘02)
Charles M. Taylor (‘17)
Stephen R. Windom (‘74)
The following alumni were named to the United Way of West Alabama Board of Directors for 2026:
Johanna R. Cole (‘99)
Brock J. Jones (‘89)
Timothy B. McCool (‘96)
Faculty Notes
Associate Dean Jeff Baker was inducted as a Fellow of the Alabama Law Foundation.
Professor Grant Christensen presented The Lone Dissent at the University of Florida Law Review’s annual Dunwoody Lecture.
Professor Beth Crutchfield taught a seminar on Domestic Violence in the Courts to members of UA’s Criminology and Criminal Justice Department. The Domestic Violence Law Clinic, under Professor Crutchfield’s supervision, participated in an event coordinated by the Camelia Center for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, where they organized and created a Survivor Support Wall and informed attendees about services available to them through the clinic.
Professor Susan Donovan presented Empowering Parties Through Mediation as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Lunchtime Series.
Professor Mirit Eyal published Gambling is entertainment — taxpayers shouldn’t foot the bill for losses (with Jay A. Soled) in The Hill. She also presented Racing to Safety: Tax Policy for AI Safety-By-Design at the Seton Hall University School of Law faculty workshop and Toward AI Tax Personhood (with David Elkins) at the Critical Tax Conference at the University of Connecticut School of Law.
Professor Russell Gold received the Dean Thomas W. Christopher Award, which is awarded by 3L students to a faculty or staff member who provides outstanding service to the Law School. He was also named an Outstanding Contributor to the University of Alabama Teaching Academy.
Assistant Dean Anita Kay Head was selected by the graduating class of 2026 as a member of the Graduation Hooding Team. She also coached the Andrews ABA National Appellate Advocacy teams, which won a regional competition in Boston and competed at the national competition in Chicago.
Professor Dan Joyner’s article, Nuclear Reactor Financing in the Second Nuclear Renaissance (with David Beckstead), was accepted for publication in Vol. 58 of the George Washington International Law Review.
Professor Sean Tu published Anticompetitive Mergers — Pharmaceutical Buyouts as a Strategy for Maintaining Market Dominance (with Jaime King) in the New England Journal of Medicine, How Big is Copyright’s Second Bite?: An Empirical Assessment of Copyright Reversion in Vol. 75 of the Duke Law Journal (with Christopher Buccafusco and Brent Lutes) and Skinny Labeling at the Supreme Court: Generic Competition, Patent Inducement and Affordable Medicines (with Frazer A. Tessema and Aaron S. Kesselheim) in JAMA. He also presented Debate on Layered Patent Protection at the Patent and Trademark Appeals Board Bar Association annual conference.
Professor Tu was also interviewed on the Tradeoffs podcast about Hikma Pharmaceuticals v. Amarin Pharma. Professor Tu filed an amicus brief in the case that was joined by over 70 other academics.